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How to hit bunker shots with ease

Rhett Myers
7:05 p.m. EDT June 19, 2014

Jordan Spieth hits out of the bunker on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C., on Saturday. Bunker shots seem hard, but not if you know the secrets.(Photo: Associated Press)

For many, bunker shots are nerve-racking, high-stress situations that usually do not end well. If there are shots in golf in which the players do not have much confidence, it is the bunker shots.

Golf is a game of confidence, and these shots breed a lack of it. To change that, let's discuss some basic fundamentals of the shot, what actually is happening during a well-played bunker shot, and how to consistently execute the shot successfully.

The following tips are for the basic green-side bunker shot; when the shot is 10-25 yards from the middle of the green. These shots are the ones you will face 85 percent of the time and, I must admit, the shot I see 85 percent of the time not being played very well.

First, let's discuss the proper club for consistent extraction of the ball each and every time. Although technique is important, using the proper club — the sand wedge — is huge.

The standard sand wedge is 56 degrees of loft and 10-14 degrees of bounce. The more bounce the club has, the more it helps you get out of the bunker. The club is designed because of the bounce to lift the ball out of the bunkers.

If you are trying to use a pitching wedge in the bunker, you are greatly hurting your chances of getting out on your first attempt.

There are many variables to factor in when playing a bunker shot: lie in bunker, condition of sand, amount of sand. Let's assume that it is a dry day, the bunker sand is dry, and you are in a green-side bunker.

• Slightly open your stance. Now also slightly open the clubface of your sand wedge.

• Slightly shuffle your feet into the stance and get a solid feeling.

• Choke down on the club in that you have 1½ inches of the end of the grip sticking out.

• Play the ball in the center of your stance.

Now, here's the secret to know:

When hitting a proper green-side bunker shot, the club does not come in contact with the ball. The idea is to slide the clubface under the ball and allow the sand to throw the ball out onto the green.

Try to hit the sand one inch behind the ball and go down and under the ball. Imagine a dollar bill sitting under the ball and you are going to slide your slightly open SW down and under the ball.

If you want to hit the ball a shorter distance, hit the sand further away from the ball. Longer shots would require hitting closer to the ball. Just don't hit the ball.

As for the pace of the swing during basic green-side bunker shots, I like to tell players take a swing as if you are hitting the ball 50 yards. Be aggressive out of the bunker — no wishing, hoping or praying it will come out.

Your hands on your backswing should be off your right shoulder, and when you finish your swing have your hands off your left shoulder.

I know it is tough to practice bunker play. One way to do it is to drop two balls in the bunker during your next round and hit a few shots without slowing up play.

Just don't forget to rake the bunkers after you play your shot.

PGA golf professional Rhett Myers owns and operates his business at the Vassar Golf Course. Reach him at rhmyers@vassar.edu